Thirteen is a Lucky Number
by WitandAmbition
Summary: A look at Harry's relationship with each of the Weasley grandchildren. Includes Teddy, the honorary Weasley.
1. Chapter 1: Teddy

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Only semi-compliant to canon.

Ginny looks radiant with the baby in her arms. "Better let the family meet him before they break the doors down," she says wryly.

Harry carefully takes James from her. Outside in the waiting room, the Weasley family crowds around him, and Molly beams with pride as she is handed the baby, cradling the head of dark black hair. Even Andromeda looks quite pleased. The only one who doesn't seem happy about the new baby is a sullen little boy with bright blue hair.

With the family distracted by James, Harry walks over to Teddy and crouches in front of him. "What's wrong, buddy?"

Percy, who is close enough to hear the conversation, discreetly turns away to give them a semblance of privacy.

"Nothing," Teddy mumbles, crossing his arms.

Harry has an inkling he knows what this is about. "Just because James is here doesn't mean we love you any less. You know that, right?"

Teddy bites his lip, looking extremely doubtful.

"We're just really happy to meet him," Harry continues, searching for the correct words as he speaks. "It's been a long nine months, and no one was expecting James to come early. I know your dad was just as happy when you were born."

"But I don't _know_ him!" Teddy cries. "You're my daddy. Not him."

Harry realizes he should have expected this. All Teddy has of Remus and Tonks were pictures; he has no actual concept of their love for him. In contrast, Harry has been there for almost every milestone in Teddy's life. He had been holding Teddy when the boy first said, "Dada," and both he and Andromeda began to weep, to Teddy's confusion. When Harry and Ginny began dating again, she had been the one to teach Teddy how to ride a broom.

"Hold on a second, bud," Harry says, getting to his feet.

Hermione is currently holding James. She's gazing at him with such fondness that Harry knows she and Ron will be starting their own family soon. They're getting close to twenty-five, which is the age Hermione had planned to have her first child.

"Find me after this," Harry tells her as he takes James from her. "We need to talk about something."

Her brows knit, but when he smiles reassuringly at her, her eyes widen and fill with tears. Harry thinks she might have figured out she'll be named the godmother, and as he walks back to Teddy, berates himself for ruining the surprise.

Getting down on Teddy's level again, Harry lets him look at James. Teddy only gives the baby a dark glare.

"There's something I want to ask of you," Harry begins carefully. "It's a big job, but I think you can do it. You'll have to be his older brother, Teddy."

Teddy raises his gaze to him uncertainly. "Brother?"

"Brother," Harry confirms with a smile. "You'll have to teach him and protect him and do all sorts of things. How does that sound, Ted?"

Teddy looks at the baby again. There is a long moment in which he considers the idea before turning back to Harry.

"Can I call you Dad?"

A stab of pain goes through Harry's heart.

"Yes," he says, because even if he wants Teddy to honor the memory of Remus and Tonks, he knows that Remus, at least, would approve of this.

Teddy grins. "Okay, Dad."

* * *

 **AN:** I know a lot of people compare Harry and Teddy, but their situations are different. Harry, at fifteen months old, likely had a better understanding of his parents and knew that Sirius was an 'uncle'. Teddy, however, was only a few days old (excuse me while I go sob) and can't really understand the idea.


	2. Chapter 2: James

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

James has always been a cuddly person. Harry knows this, but he wasn't expecting his fourteen-year-old son to come barreling off the train and wrap his arms around Harry's waist. James doesn't like making a spectacle in public. He leaves that to Albus, who will proudly wear green in support of Brazil while the rest of family wears red for Bulgaria, Victor Krum's team.

"Hello, James," Harry says, running a hand through James' messy black hair. "Did your semester go well?"

James nods wordlessly against his chest.

Looking around him, Harry finds Ron's gaze, who shrugs uncomfortably. Ron and James' relationship, though remaining cordial, has been strained ever since James was sorted into Slytherin. It wasn't until recently, when Albus confessed that the hat offered him Slytherin, too, that Ron began to become more accepting of James being the first Slytherin in the family. It helped when Ginny pointed out that James had Ron's strategic ability.

Since James doesn't seem ready to talk yet, Harry collects Albus and Lily and takes his children home. All three chatter in the backseat, and Harry has to remind them to be quiet as they enter the house. Ginny is working on an article, and has threatened to kill each of them if they dare to disturb her.

"Come with me to my office?" Harry asks James, and James, knowing it's more of a request than an offer, follows him.

Once the door is locked and Harry is certain there won't be any prying ears, which is always a possibility in their family, Harry turns to James and asks him what's on his mind.

James fiddles with a loose thread on his sleeve. "You, actually," he admits quietly.

Harry's brows rise. "Me?"

James nods. "We were talking about the war in History," he says, and with a sense of dread, Harry recalls that third year is when they go more in depth. "I knew that you defeated Voldemort, but not everything else. How could Dumbledore let you into the Tri-Wizard tournament? I'm fourteen, and I don't think I could do it."

"The contract was binding," Harry explains.

"But surely there was a loophole! Someone else had to have been submitted unwillingly by other people before. And all of the teachers he hired! I mean, Teddy's dad was pretty awesome, but what about the Death Eater? He even hired Voldemort! Isn't there some kind of, I don't know, a background check or something? This is a world of magic, where anything's possible!"

At another time, Harry would have smiled; picking Hermione as James' godmother has made him more logical than the average wizard. Now, though, he sighs.

"Have you told Al about this?" he asks wearily.

"Er…"

James looks slightly guilty, and Harry sighs again. He knows he'll be having this same conversation again soon.

"I'm not going to lie to you, James. Dumbledore made a lot of mistakes-"

"Try a lot," James mutters.

"But it was what he did in the end that really matters," Harry continues.

"Is that what you tell yourself about Snape?" James asks snidely.

Harry pauses. In recent years, he has realized the real impact the two men had on his life. He's thankful that Ginny had been able to convince him that Severus would be a horrible middle name for Albus. Ron and Hermione were too complacent on Harry's reasoning to stop him otherwise.

"Alright, so I might be too forgiving," Harry admits.

It's true. Ginny has always been the one to discipline the children.

There's a beat of silence, and then James grins.

"It's not too late to change, old man," he teases, and Harry laughs.


	3. Chapter 3: Albus

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

"I heard that you got into a fight with a certain portrait," Harry says with faux casualness.

Albus scowls as he stabs at his ice cream. It's partially melted, and the spoon slides through easily.

"Because he's the rudest, most belligerent, callous, condescending, quarrelsome man I've ever met!" he snaps.

Harry's eyebrows lift at the impressive list of adjectives.

"Why did James have to tell everyone my name is Severus?" Albus continues plaintively.

"Because your brother has an odd sense of humor," says Harry. "I blame your mother for that. She once told a girl that Ron has a tattoo of a Pygmy Puff."

"But that doesn't mean you have to go along with it," Albus accuses.

"It doesn't," Harry agrees, "but you know our family. We tend to enjoy causing chaos."

Albus grumbles to himself and violently stabs at the ice cream again. Harry leans forward and rests his elbows on the table. He tilts his head slightly, wondering if Albus has somehow transferred the images of their extensive family on the ice cream, but it still looks like plain vanilla. Albus has taken only a few bites because Harry refused to allow him to put extra condiments on it. That always involves multiple types of chocolate, and Albus tends to get high on chocolate, resulting in fiery catastrophes.

Thinking of that, Harry asks, "Why were you in the Head's office, anyway?"

Albus immediately turns defensive. "I was trying to teach Scorpius how to cook! How was I supposed to know he's a disaster in the kitchen?"

Harry blinks, and then begins to laugh. He's having trouble imagining any Malfoy in the kitchen.

"And Rose wasn't helping," Albus rants. "She's almost as bad as him!"

"Let me guess: there was fire?" Harry asks wryly.

At Albus' dubious glare, Harry laughs again and reaches over to ruffle Albus' hair. Just as James would be identical to Harry if it weren't for his blue eyes, inherited from Arthur, Albus is Harry's clone except for his dark auburn hair. It sometimes causes problems for them, but Teddy has done a good job of protecting James at Hogwarts, which James is now doing for Albus.

"Enjoy it, Al," Harry advises. "Someday Scorpius might even woo Rose with his… spectacular cooking skills."

For a moment, Albus continues to scowl, but then he finally cracks a grin. "He'll definitely draw a spectatorship," he quips.


	4. Chapter 4: Louis

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Warning: Mention of LGBTQ; incest

Bill is pacing around the room muttering to himself. Harry can't catch all of the words, but he definitely hears, "That foul, loathsome boy who dared to touch my daughter."

Louis' face is carefully blank, but it looks like he's clinging on to his calmness by the thinnest of threads. Harry thinks they've probably all seen Bill like this at least a dozen times each, but Louis, as the only one of Bill's children to still be in school and living at home, is the most frustrated by it.

Percy checks his watch. "It'll be starting soon," he says. "Someone should go check on Victoire."

Bill immediately whirls around. "I'll go."

"No," Harry says firmly, already striding toward the door.

"I'll come, too," Louis says eagerly, leaping to his feet.

Bill glares at them both in betrayal, and Ron takes ahold of him to stop him from following them. All of the Weasley brothers are in the room to keep an eye on Bill, although George looks like he's here more to enjoy Bill's suffering.

Once out of the room, Louis begins to relax. "Uncle Harry, can I ask you something?"

"You already did," Harry quips, because he's a father and has to make that joke.

Louis rolls his eyes good-naturedly before continuing. "It's actually about Lucy."

Now concerned, Harry stops and looks at him. Despite the age gap between them, Louis and Lucy are nearly as close as Lucy is to her sister. Harry thinks they somehow bonded over their similar names.

"It's just…" Louis bites his lip and glances around them. "I'm worried about her. The other day I saw her with a girl."

"Ah." Understanding now, Harry nods. Lucy hasn't announced her bisexuality yet. "Yes, she's waiting until after the wedding to tell everyone."

Louis gapes at him. "You knew?"

"I know everything, Lou," Harry says smugly. "Like how you're dating that Prewett girl."

Louis blushes bright red, showing that he does have the Weasley genes even if his hair is blond. "You can't tell Dad! We're only third cousins, and that means that less than one percent of our genes are similar, and the laws say we can marry even if Dad hates the idea of incest."

Harry raises one eyebrow. One of the bills pushed through recently said that no couple could have less than seven degrees of relation between them. Some of the purebloods protested, but Harry thinks it's a good idea. The wizarding world is too insular. Besides, there are so many more children in this generation that they should have an easier time finding someone to whom they're not closely related.

"My lips are sealed," Harry promises.

Louis lets out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Uncle Harry."

"But you'll have to tell your parents at some point," Harry adds. "Especially if you think this will be serious."

"Oh, it is," Louis says, grinning. "Even more serious than James."

Harry groans. "You just had to do that, didn't you?"

"I'm a Ravenclaw. Puns and innuendo are my main weapon of choice," Louis answers airily.

* * *

 **AN:** If anyone gets the pun in the last line, you get a gold star and a pat on the back. (Hint: think about Ravenclaw's element.)

 **AN2:** Most people don't even know their third cousins, and marriage between them is allowed. It's atypical, I know, and still gives the sense of 'ew,' but I can see it being common in the wizarding world.


	5. Chapter 5: Lucy

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

It's a few months since Teddy and Victoire's wedding, which was over the summer so that all of the family could attend. As usual the Weasley Christmas is a large, grand affair, and the first great-grandchild, Lucas Black, is watching everything around him with his mother's hazel eyes. He's a quiet baby, so it's shocking every time his hair changes another color. Everyone was surprised when he turned out to be a Metamorphmagus, and Harry supposes it must have come from Marius.

"Are you trying to confuse us on purpose?" asks George. "Lucy, Louis, and now Lucas…"

"Lucy doesn't want any kids, but I wanted her to have some sort of legacy," Mary says, smiling at her twin sister. She insists that everyone call her Mary instead of Molly to avoid more confusion.

Percy turns around. "What do you mean? Why don't you want kids, Lucy?"

She shrugs uncomfortably. "I just don't."

"You'll change your mind someday," Audrey assures her, patting her on the arm. "I was scared at first, too, but I'm happy every day I made the choice to you two."

Lucy's looking increasingly desperate for someone to rescue her, and as Mary flounders, Harry realizes Lucy isn't ready to come out yet.

"Or maybe she'll come home one day with dragons dressed in onesies," Harry jokes.

Charlie clutches his baby dragon to his chest. There's a muzzle on its snout to keep it from spouting fire after the kitchen table was burned down. Albus was there to watch, and Harry is still slightly disturbed by the glee on his son's face.

"Are you making fun of Kenneth?" Charlie demands.

Mary leaps upon this chance to distract everyone from her sister. "How do you know it's a boy?"

Immediately he launches into an explanation, eager to share his enthusiasm for dragons. Lucy slowly begins to relax again, and when Harry catches her eye, she smiles and mouths a silent, 'Thank you.'


	6. Chapter 6: Victoire

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Every time Harry takes out Teddy and Victoire, he gets strange looks for being such a young man with two children. He ignores the stares and sits down on a bench, watching as Teddy and Victoire fight over the castle-shaped bucket in the sandbox. In the past year, the two children have become inseparable. Not only is Victoire the closest to Teddy in age, but Bill, having worked with Remus and Tonks in the Order, has more stories to tell Teddy than Harry himself, so Andromeda often lets Bill and Fleur babysit Teddy.

Eventually both children tire of the sandbox. Teddy grabs one of the recently vacated swings, but Victoire wanders over to Harry and climbs into his lap.

"Are you having fun, Vic?" Harry asks her. She looks incredibly sullen today. With Teddy, Harry would have tickled him until the boy laughed, but Victoire hates to be tickled.

Her freckled face tilts up toward him. "Uncle Harry, why was everyone crying?"

He's been waiting for her to ask that. Today is Victoire's birthday, and coincidentally the anniversary of the Final Battle. All of the Weasley family is gathered at the Burrow in remembrance of Fred. Andromeda, too distraught with her own grief, asked Harry to take Teddy to the park, and Harry decided to invite Victoire too.

Harry chews on his words for a moment.

"You know about Uncle Fred, right?" he begins.

Victoire nods. "Daddy said he's in heaven, and Freddie was named after him."

Harry's thankful that her parents have already spoken to her some about it. He doesn't think he'll get in trouble for telling her more.

"Well, that's why everyone is sad," Harry explains. "We all miss him very much."

She bites her lip. "It's not because of me?"

His eyes widen. He hadn't been expecting the conversation to take this sort of turn. "What? No. You brought so much joy into this world, Vic. Never doubt that. We'll just be celebrating your birthday tomorrow."

"But everyone will still be sad," Victoire points out with the simple logic of a child.

Harry sighs, knowing that she's right. "How about this? Starting next year, we'll celebrate your birthday a week ahead of time, before everyone is sad. Does that sound good?"

She frowns in thought for a moment. "Do I still get cake and presents?"

"Strawberry cake with vanilla icing," he replies promptly.

Her face breaks into a grin. "Okay!"

Then, without another word, Victoire slides down to the ground and runs off to join Teddy again. Harry shakes his head fondly.


	7. Chapter 7: Hugo

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Hugo is sitting at the kitchen table alone, his homework spread out before him. He isn't looking at it, though, but instead is gazing out the window. He startles when Harry sits across from him and places a butterbeer in front of him.

"Isn't math exciting?" Harry asks mischievously.

Making a face, Hugo grabs the bottle and cracks the lid off. "That's not it," he mumbles.

Harry tilts his head, waiting patiently. After only a few moments, Hugo wilts under the silent pressure.

"I heard that Mum told everyone not to get me books this year," Hugo confesses. "And I understand, really I do, but just because I have dyslexia doesn't mean I hate reading. And Rose said I won't be able to get in Ravenclaw if I can't read. And – and I just hate this! Everyone thinks I'm dumb now."

Harry frowns and takes a swig of his own butterbeer. He admittedly doesn't know that much about dyslexia, but he knows it interferes with comprehension of the text. After Hugo's teacher recognized it, Hermione forced Ron to be tested, and it was found that Ron had the same condition. It doesn't matter as much with Ron, though, because he doesn't like to read. Hugo, however, is a self-proclaimed bibliophile.

"How much does it actually affect your reading ability?" Harry asks cautiously.

Hugo scrunches his face up in thought. "Not much. Apparently I scan the words instead of actually reading them."

"So you've already learned how to adjust to it on your own?" Harry clarifies.

"Yeah, I guess," Hugo says after a pause.

"Then you'll do just fine in Ravenclaw. And just because you have difficulty learning doesn't mean you're dumb. Your dad didn't do very well in school, but he's still extremely creative. Look at what he's done with George for the shop. Creativity, mind you, is a trait that Ravenclaw values."

Hugo brightens. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Uncle Harry!"

Smirking, Harry reaches over and ruffles Hugo's auburn curls. "Never underestimate yourself, Hu. Ron can tell you about his own experience with that."

* * *

 **AN:** If I've somehow misrepresented dyslexia, please let me know.


	8. Chapter 8: Dominique

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

"You might be my godfather, but I swear I will stab you if you ask about my future," Dominique warns.

Harry closes his mouth and tries to think of a different question. He doesn't really know what to talk about, though. Victoire has had her entire life planned out since she was a child. Mary married Marius almost directly after graduating, and Lucy is currently studying with Rolf Scamander. Teddy decided he wanted to be an Auror as soon as he learned about his mother's role in the war. Fred works in journalism, and Roxanne has been signed on as the Chaser for the Ballycastle Bats. All of them knew what they wanted to do after graduating, but Dominique is floundering on the waves of indecision.

"How do you feel about kids?" Harry asks abruptly.

She frowns. "I'm not going to be a teacher."

Harry taps the railing in front of him. Unlike Fred, who values loyalty and determination, Dominique takes the other Hufflepuff trait and has an indomitable level of patience. Once Harry recommended her as a babysitter to the Scamanders, Rolf never let her go. Despite all of the adventures Lorcan and Lysander got into, Dominique didn't hesitate to patch them up each time.

That gives him an idea.

"What about becoming a pediatrician?" he asks.

"A what?"

He turns to face her. She's perched on the railing, looking at him in confusion. Her blonde hair is loose and lank, and her eyes have bags underneath them. He wonders how much she's been badgered over the break.

"That's the term for a Muggle Healer who works with children," Harry explains.

Dominique thinks for a long moment. "Does it mean more school?"

"Four more years," he says, nodding. "But I know you can do it, Nik. I believe in you."

For the first time that day, she looks amused. "I bet you say that to everyone."

"Only my godchildren," Harry says, smiling in turn.

Dominique snorts. "That's what? Ten people? So I don't feel that special."

Harry silently counts on his fingers. "Seven," he corrects.

"Joseph doesn't count," Dominique says immediately, repeating Ginny's words about Neville's only child.

"If she can claim Teddy, I can claim Joseph," he refutes.

"She helped raise Teddy."

Harry mock-scowls at her. "Stop using logic against me."

"But you make it so easy," Dominique teases. Then she sobers and lets out a sigh. "I'll think about it. Promise. It's more than anyone else has given me."

"Good. Now that I've given you food for thought, how about you come inside and eat?"

She groans but hops off the railing. "I _knew_ Maman sent you."

"As the French say, _J'ai change de cremerie_ ," Harry sniffs.

Dominique opens her mouth then closes it. After another moment she walks inside, but she's smiling, which Harry counts as a win. He also wonders what he just said, because he's pretty sure he butchered whatever Fleur told him.

* * *

 **AN:** Badgered. Heh. Get it?

Yeah, I'll see myself out. As the French say, _Adios._ Or is that German?

Also I'm uploading this now because I'm leaving town early tomorrow morning, and my cousin doesn't have WiFi at his house. (I don't know how he can survive, but to each his own...)


	9. Chapter 9: Lily

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

The door slams and then Harry hears footsteps pounding up the stairs. Albus must have been practicing Quidditch again. He's not naturally gifted like James, but he inherited Ginny's determination and, in Harry's opinion, is on his way to being a great Chaser.

When Harry glances at Lily, her mouth is tight and she keeps her eyes on the photo album in her lap. Albus hardly interacts with her if James isn't around. Now that James is at Hogwarts, Harry had been hoping that they would become closer, but it still seems like both Albus and Lily prefer James to each other. With his more outgoing personality, he draws them out of their respective shells.

"Say hello to your father, Al!" Ginny shouts after him, and from above comes a muffled greeting to which Harry responds.

Lily flips to the next page of the album. It's one that Harry found in Sirius' old bedroom. Teddy has his own copy that Harry made for him.

"Jamie looks a lot like Grandpa," she comments.

Harry looks at the photo, his chest tight. Once he used to be compared to his own father, but now that he's well over the age of thirty that's almost completely stopped.

"Yeah, he does," Harry agrees. "But look, you have his eyes and my mum's hair."

Lily looks moderately pleased. She likes finding pieces of herself in Harry's parents, and Harry willingly admits he feels the same way. It's like his parents continue to live when he looks at his own children.

"Dad," Lily says suddenly, "can I cut my hair?"

His brows rise in surprise. "Why? It's so beautiful."

"Not that short," she assures him. "Something like Mei and Lan's style."

He looks at her long dark red hair. Though it's not as messy as his own, she often complains that it's unmanageable. Most of the time it's in a ponytail or braid. Dudley's twin girls keep their hair at shoulder length, and Harry thinks the style might look good on Lily too.

"Have you talked to your mother?" Harry asks cautiously.

"She said to ask you."

He groans. "Please tell me we're not playing this game."

Lily glances at him, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips, and it's only now that Harry realizes she's starting to look even more like Ginny. With her growing into her features, it also reminds him that his little girl is going to leave him for school in only three years. He shudders at the thought.

"Okay," Harry decides. "But not above your shoulders."

She laughs. "Yeah, I know. It wouldn't look good on me anyway. Do you think Jamie and Al will make fun of it, though?"

"They shouldn't, but I don't really know," Harry replies. "If you want sibling advice, go to your mother. I was an only child, and most of the time I just wanted to punch Dudley in his piggy little face."

Lily laughs again. She knows that Harry and Dudley's relationship used to be much worse, but now their families get along fairly well. Mei and Lan are four years younger than Lily, and think she's hung the moon.

"Yeah, Mum said that too. No offense Dad, but you're kind of useless for this stuff."

Harry pouts, but she ignores him and goes back to the photo album. She's still leaning against him, though, and Harry has no intention of moving away yet.

* * *

 **AN:** Lily is a normal girl without the pressure her brothers are under, but she has problems of her own. In the epilogue I noticed that both Al and Lily only spoke to James. This came from that.

 **AN2:** Moon? Luna? Yeah, I should probably stop doing this. But hey, at least I'm teaching you about the nuances of language!

 **AN3:** Also I wanted to show that sometimes even Harry doesn't know everything and has to rely on Ginny. I might have my own reservations about Ginny, but I know she wouldn't be so passive like she was in CC.

 **AN4:** Updated. Hopefully now that my fever's broken, this chapter is better.


	10. Chapter 10: Rose

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

The children haven't been home even a day when Rose steps out of the fireplace. Harry greets her from behind his newspaper, expecting her to go upstairs and wake Albus, but instead she throws herself into the chair across from him.

Harry slowly lowers the paper. "Is something wrong?" he asks cautiously.

Rose stares at him. Then, without warning, she bursts into tears.

Harry's eyes widen. He mentally runs through everything he can do to deal with a crying girl, including running and grabbing Ginny, but eventually settles on conjuring a tissue for Rose and waiting for her to gather herself.

Finally, after a last sniffle, Rose chokes out, "Scorpius asked me out on a date."

"Oh," Harry says. "Congratulations."

"It's _not_ good!" she almost wails. "What can I say to him, Uncle Harry? If I say yes, I'll hurt Al's feelings. If I say no, I'll hurt Scorpius' feelings. _What am I supposed to do?_ "

Harry blinks. "Um, have you asked your mother?"

Rose shakes her head. "This is _Scorpius Malfoy_. If I tell Mum, she'll tell Dad, and then I'll be attending a funeral."

Harry thinks that's a little drastic. Ron wouldn't kill Scorpius; he'd just sulk and whine for a few months until Hermione had enough and smacked sense into him. Harry doesn't tell Rose that, though. It's obvious that in this emotional state, Rose doesn't want that type of advice.

"Well… what do _you_ want to do?" he queries.

Rose stops wiping at her eyes. For a long moment, she stares at the tissue in her hand.

"Al's name is Albus Rubeus, not Albus Severus," Harry says gently. "Whichever decision you make, he'll understand."

Slowly Rose looks up at him, her brown eyes now determined. "Then I want to date Scorpius," she says solidly, standing and heading toward the door of the living room.

Feeling quite happy with himself, Harry settles into his chair again and is about to open the newspaper when Rose comes back and awkwardly wraps her arms around him in a hug.

"Thanks, Uncle Harry. You're the best dogfather."

"My animagus is a _wolf_ ," Harry corrects uselessly.

It's something the entire family finds both heartbreaking and amusing. While his Patronus is still a stag, his animagus form is eerily similar to the one Sirius took on. He likes to think it means both of his fathers are with him, though, rather than it being saddening.

Rose laughs as she pulls back. "Still a canine," she sings as she goes to the stairs.

Harry watches her, knowing that though the relationship between Rose, Scorpius, and Albus is changing, all three of them will be just fine.

~TiaLN~

 **AN:** So right as I ended this one, _My Friends_ by Oh Wonder came on. It doesn't really fit this story but it hit me hard because I live five hours away from my family and old friends, and each time I go back home it's like they have to adjust to my presence again. If you understand that feeling, consider listening to the song.

 **AN2:** This line break thing and I have a mutual hate relationship going on.


	11. Chapter 11: Molly (Mary)

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

"Please, Harry," Percy says desperately. "Everything I try is wrong. She won't even talk to Lucy."

Harry sighs. Audrey had invited everyone, including the men, to Mary's bridal shower, but the star of the event won't even come out of her room.

"Alright," he says gruffly. "But I'm not sure I can do much better."

Percy grimaces in response. "Just… Make sure she's okay."

With a nod, Harry walks out of the kitchen and skirts quickly past the living room where everyone is waiting. Upstairs he finds Lucy sitting against the wall outside Mary's room. When he arrives, she pushes to her feet and quietly leaves him alone in the hallway.

After a moment of hesitation, Harry knocks on the door.

"Go away," snaps Mary.

Harry clears his throat. "It's me. Uncle Harry."

There's a long pause before she opens the door. Her gaze darts around him to make sure he's alone before she lets him inside the room.

"Dad sent you, didn't he?" Mary demands as Harry takes a seat at her desk.

"Yes," Harry admits. "He's worried about you. Audrey, too."

She snorts. "Yeah, I know. 'You're barely an adult and you're already getting married!'" she mimics in a high voice.

Then her sneer crumples as Mary flops onto the bed across from him.

" _Am_ I making a mistake?" she whispers to the ceiling.

Harry rubs the back of his neck. He had a feeling it would be something like this. Percy knew what he was doing when he insisted on Harry coming here.

"You know, my parents got married when they were nineteen," he says lowly.

Mary sits up, her eyes widening. "Really? But Mrs. Tonks' stories…"

Harry smiles softly. Andromeda became rather close to the Weasley after the war, and she tries to share everything she can remember about Harry's parents, Sirius, and Remus. With some more input from the older professors, Harry's been able to piece together a bit more about his parents' lives.

"They loved each other a lot, even if they were young," Harry says. "They married in nineteen-seventy-nine, so my grandparents could see it. Only a few months later and my mum got pregnant with me. And I know they would have been happy to this day if they hadn't…"

He's unable to finish the sentence, even now still blaming himself for his parents' deaths, but Mary nods anyway.

Harry looks at her. "It's not a bad thing," he says firmly. "All it means is that you'll be sharing everything together. And besides, your parents don't really have room to talk. Except for Bill, all of us were married before we were twenty-five."

"I know, but you had the war…"

"It's not that different," Harry insists. "Love is love. You've been with Marius for four years now. I think you'd have left him already if you didn't love him."

Mary fingers her ring. She glances at the clock and bites her lip.

"Do I look presentable?" she asks.

Harry shakes his head, but before her expression can fall completely, he corrects, "You look _beautiful_." He stands and offers his hand to her. "Ready to face the music?"

"I'll dance to it," Mary promises, letting him pull her onto her feet.

According to Ginny he can't be a rogue, so Harry tries for a boyish grin. "Save one for me," he says with a wink, and her laugh precedes them down the stairs.

* * *

 **AN:** You have no idea how hard it was to not do another pun.


	12. Chapter 12: Fred

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

"Hello, Harry," Angelina greets him when he enters Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. "Why're you here today?"

"Gift for my godson," Harry replies, glancing around. "You wouldn't happen to know what six-year-olds like these days, would you?"

"Unfortunately, I'm just here for my good looks," she says, which they both know is a complete lie. Angelina has a good eye for catching any potential thieves. George likes to joke that she's better than a bouncer at keeping unwanted customers out of the shop. "Freddie can help you, though."

Fred's expression is unusually sullen as he shows Harry to the products for younger children. Harry doesn't think he's ever seen Fred so quiet.

Harry clears his throat. "So… Excited for Hogwarts?"

Fred shoves his hands in his pockets. "Yeah," he mumbles to the floor.

Inspecting the shelf in front of him, Harry grabs a blue ball. He waits another moment for Fred to continue, but Fred only lets out a heavy sigh and watches the customers milling about the shop. Harry turns to him with the ball in hand.

"What about this for a boy?" Harry asks.

"No, that's a bath bomb," Fred answers.

"Well it _could_ be for a boy," Harry mutters under his breath. Then, louder, he says, "Are you ever going to tell me what's wrong? That's the third time you've sighed."

About to sigh again, Fred stops and blows the air through his nose instead. Harry crooks an eyebrow at him, and Fred looks away.

"Promise not to tell Mum and Dad?"

"You know I won't," Harry says immediately.

Fred glances around to make sure that neither of his parents are near. "It's just…" He bites his lip. "I'm not sure I want to be in Gryffindor."

"You don't?"

The words slip out automatically, and Fred blanches, his shoulders hunching in. Harry silently berates himself for speaking so thoughtlessly. Crouching down so they're almost the same height, Harry speaks earnestly.

"Hey, Fred, look at me. I didn't mean it like that. I was just surprised, is all. Why don't you want to be in Gryffindor?"

For a long moment, Fred struggles to find his words. "I'm not Fred," he says at last. "I mean I _am_ Fred, but I'm not Dad's brother. I barely even look like him." He looks down at his dark skin for emphasis. "I'm just… Fred."

This is something Harry can understand. He had a conversion about it with Teddy not too long ago.

"Then be George's son," he says gently. "No one expects you to be his brother. You're Frederick _Lee_ Weasley. Be you."

"He's right, you know," another voice says softly.

Fred swiftly looks up, his eyes wide. Harry glances over his shoulder to see George hovering there.

"Thanks, Harry," George says. "I think I can take it from here."

Harry nods and pushes to his feet, giving Fred's shoulder a squeeze as he passes by him. As soon as Harry steps away, George wraps an arm around Fred and guides him to the back of the store for some privacy.

Angelina is waiting for Harry at the front with a gift in hand.

"Don't bother paying for it," she tells him.


	13. Chapter 13: Roxanne

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

"Hey, Uncle Harry," Roxanne says distractedly. "Just give me a moment and I'll be done here."

Feeling an odd sense of déjà vu, Harry waits for her to finish ringing up the customer. Then she turns to him.

"How can I help you, Uncle Harry?"

He smiles at the customary greeting, grilled into her at a young age. "I'm not looking to buy anything today. I just came by to say congratulations."

"Oh." Roxanne looks away. "I decided not to accept."

His brows rise. "You didn't? Why?"

When she doesn't answer immediately, Harry moves forward and rests his elbows on the counter. Underneath, the hangman is preparing the noose, and Roxanne watches it with a morbid fascination.

"Roxie," he says gently. "This isn't because of Wood, is it?"

"Of course not," she snaps. "Ashton said I could do whatever I want. It's my choice to continue Quidditch."

"It is," Harry acknowledges, "but you love the shop."

Roxanne crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Everyone knows Dad only offered me the shop because Fred doesn't want it."

Harry's uncertain what to say to that. It's true that George always planned on passing Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to Fred, but Fred's been giving cues for years that he'd prefer for Roxanne to have it. Anytime she pulls off a prank, Fred points it out to their father, and Harry has seen George slowly accepting it.

Offering a deep sigh and thoughtful expression, Harry takes a moment to speak. "You know, I've always thought you and Rose would make a better front for the shop."

Her gaze lifts from the hangman, brows inching up. "Really? Why?"

"Roxie and Rosie… Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Roxanne's lips twitch like she wants to smile. "Yeah, I guess."

He speaks in a gentle tone. "Just think about it, okay? George wouldn't have offered if he didn't mean it. He already lets you control it when he's away, right?"

She glances around the store, noting each of the customers moving about but not meeting Harry's eyes as she thinks. "Right," Roxanne agrees at last. "I just hate being the second choice."

Harry reaches out. Picking up one of her hands from the counter, he gives it a quick squeeze. "You aren't," he tells her. "You're the best choice."

He's pleased to see a smile slowly building on her face. Though it will take some time for her to admit it, he knows she'll be accepting ownership of the shop. Somewhere, Fred's spirit will be happy that another prankster is taking his place.

* * *

 **AN:** Sadly, this is the end… I really enjoyed writing this story and exploring each of the problems each of the kids might have, and how Harry helped them.


End file.
